Mile Svilar thanks Daniele De Rossi for ‘putting his faith’ in the young goalkeeper, who was the Roma hero in a penalty shoot-out win over Feyenoord. ‘I worked all my life for this moment.’
The shot-stopper has always played in the Europa League, but Jose Mourinho had usually chosen Rui Patricio for Serie A or the biggest European fixtures.
Coming in for the sacked Special One, De Rossi handed the gloves to Svilar and that decision paid off, as he made several good saves in this evening’s Europa League play-off before parrying two in the shoot-out.
“It’s incredible. I am speechless. I worked all my life for this moment, in this stadium. Mamma mia. Every time I step in here, it feels even more special, it’s crazy,” Svilar told Sky Sport Italia.
Svilar kept out David Hancko and Alireza Jahanbakhsh in the shoot-out, while Romelu Lukaku had seen his attempt saved.
“In these moments, I do not feel pressure. I saved two, I could’ve saved a third, but we won and that is the most important thing.”
Considering the first leg ended 1-1 and extra time was always an option, did Svilar study the Feyenoord spot-kick specialists?
“I watched the videos with my goalkeeping coach, but then I also decided where I would go. I guessed right three times out of five.”
The young goalkeeper was asked how important De Rossi had been for his career.
“This is very, very important, the faith transforms into a performance on the field, it makes me feel more confident. I thank the coach for giving me and my family this unforgettable moment.
“Tonight, nobody can wipe this smile off our faces, but from tomorrow we get back to work for the next match.”
ROMA DO IT AT THE OLIMPICO 🏟️
A win on penalties after a tight contest with Feyenoord 🫡 pic.twitter.com/O9HTWnSpt3
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 22, 2024